BEA rep urges clearer plans for Excel Academy housing; superintendent says meetings underway

Trish Duncan, speaking for the Bedford Education Association during audience participation at the June 26 Bedford City Board of Education meeting, urged the board for clarity about where Excel Academy students will be housed next school year and raised concerns about the adequacy of space.

"As it stands right now, there are only 3 rooms at the Stadium Building to house anywhere from 40 to 60 children... There would be no room for privacy to have intervention specialist meetings," Duncan said, adding that Excel needs room for teachers, an intervention specialist and administrative spaces.

Superintendent Evans responded that he met with the Excel principal and that "there's gonna be another meeting, to kinda work through some of the issues that you just brought up." He said tentative plans include the Stadium Building and possible use of Central or Columbus for middle-school students, and that maintenance may refurbish areas at the high school with fresh paint and carpeting to make them more usable. "I assured the principal along with some of the administrative team that that's a quickly coming additional conversation to make sure that we do what's best for our kids," Evans said.

Evans characterized the plans as tentative and said district staff are working through logistics with principals and administrative teams. He did not provide a final site choice or a schedule for any moves during the meeting, and he described the Stadium Building as one option among several under consideration. The board did not vote on Excel Academy placement at the June 26 meeting.

The board scheduled a special meeting for Monday, July 6 at 6 p.m. and confirmed the next regular meeting for Friday, July 10 at 6 p.m., when district leaders could provide further updates to the board and the public.